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Saturday, September 25, 2010

The Rangers announced today they will place free agent bust defenseman Wade Redden on waivers. Redden is entering the third season of a six-year, $39 million deal that averages $6.5 million per season. By erasing Redden’s cap hit from their NHL roster, the Rangers will easily be able to come under the $59.4 million salary cap for the 2010-11 season.

A two-time All-Star with the Ottawa Senators, the 33-year-old Redden had five goals and 35 assists in 156 regular-season games for the Rangers.

Redden told Rangers general manager Glen Sather he would consider his options over the next few days. However, Redden must report to Hartford (AHL) in order to collect his Rangers’ salary and Sather said Redden would be allowed to play for the Wolf Pack. Redden, whose wife just gave birth to the couple’s first child this week, could also decide to continue his career overseas and the Rangers could wind up splitting the difference of his contract.

“We’ll honor his contract,” Sather said.

Another NHL team could claim Redden’s contract but, considering his salary and diminishing performance, that is not considered likely.

Sather said he told Redden after last season he would have to get off to a quick start in training camp in order to save his roster spot. Redden did not play in the Rangers’ 4-3 overtime win over the Devils Thursday night in their preseason opener at Madison Square Garden. Sather said the move was made now in order to give the Rangers’ prospects more time during the preseason to earn a roster spot.

“It’s always difficult to change somebody’s life like this,” Sather said. “But we have to do what’s right for the team.”

Sather informed Redden’s agent, Don Meehan, of the decision Friday and called Redden into a meeting at 9 a.m. this morning.

“I think he’d kind of seen the writing on the wall,” Sather said. “It hasn’t been easy for him. For some reason, it didn’t work for him.”

Sather said Redden seemed to play “carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders” and he had started thinking too deliberately on the ice without reacting quickly.
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About

ANDREW GROSS covers the New York Rangers for The Record and Herald News, having joined the North Jersey Media Group in November 2007. Gross also covered the Rangers and New York Jets, as well as St. John’s basketball and Army football, for Gannett Newspapers and The Journal News (N.Y.). He graduated from Syracuse University in 1989 with a degree in newspaper journalism.